Partners in Success: Leveraging Brand Alignment to Attract Contingent Talent

In today’s highly competitive labor market, having a clear and compelling employer brand that conveys your company’s employee value proposition (EVP) and identity as a great place to work, is imperative for attracting and retaining the right talent.

In fact, data shows that a strong employer brand leads to 50 percent more qualified applicants and a 28 percent increase in retention. But should a company’s employer brand also apply to contingent workers? Would having strong brand alignment between clients and staffing partners help both parties attract qualified, culturally compatible candidates? Should managed service providers (MSPs) recommend the practice?

With companies increasingly relying on contingent workers, everyone across the staffing supply chain needs to consider how they can appeal to freelance talent. That said, here’s a look at the advantages of brand extension and some ways that staffing clients and their partners can create brand synergies that boost talent attraction rates.

Major Benefits of Brand Extension

No matter how you slice it, the advantages of leveraging two robust employer brands to attract contingent talent are huge and outweigh any potential risks. Consider the following: 

• Contractors want many of the same things as full-time staff. For instance, according to a recent survey, freelancers value feedback, respect for their work and fair and prompt payment. Sound familiar? If a company’s EVP makes similar promises, agency recruiters can point to overlapping features and cultural attributes to attract like-minded contractors.

• Contractors want interesting and challenging work that matters and a clearly-defined employment brand reflects the company’s mission, vision, values and culture. Even better, the more that contractors can see the connection between their everyday work and the company’s mission and goals, the more motivated and engaged they’ll be.

• Nearly nine in 10 candidates will visit a company’s website before interviewing or starting an assignment. Skilled contractors may look elsewhere if the company’s employment brand and messaging fails to resonate with them.

• Leveraging previous investments and acquired brand equity to build a new and more diverse talent pool delivers significant ROI.

• When staffing clients and their providers display similar values and equal commitment to being preferred employers, it gives candidates the best of both worlds and creates a competitive advantage in the talent marketplace. After all, both organizations are looking for long-term employees who want to stay and contribute because they feel like part of the family.

Strategies for Creating Brand Synergies

Here are some ways that staffing firms and clients can leverage similar brands and EVPs to expand their collective recruiting reach. 

• Research shows that 85 percent of job hunters will join a talent network before applying for jobs. So why not provide a preview of your culture and an opportunity to connect by creating an external group in Yammer or Facebook. Staffing recruiters can help generate interest by inviting contractors and prospects to join the conversation.
• Support contractor care. When staffing firms and clients show contractors that their work is valued through onsite recognition events, awards and bonuses, both brands get a boost from positive social mentions and improved retention and referral rates.

• Contingent workers are interested in learning new skills and exploring non-traditional career ladders and career advancement strategies. Both parties can enhance their employer reputations and forge connections with future workers by offering relevant content, testimonials and success stories online.

• When candidates visit a staffing firm’s website they want to know who their clients are and the types of assignments and benefits they provide. Displaying customer testimonials and logos not only helps staffing firms establish credibility and trust, it serves as a complementary source of referrals and web traffic for clients.

In conclusion, boosting the visibility of employment brands through synergistic alignment with staffing suppliers will inevitably increase career site traffic and uncover new sources of game-changing talent for both parties.

Tim De Potter